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Scotland must deal with weighty problem

From Lewis Stuart in Durban

June 7 2003, 1:00am, The Times

THERE is fear in the air of Durban. Losing to Scotland at Murrayfield was bad enough, but losing in their own heartland would be devastating.

And all South Africa knows it could happen. They have a bucketload of injuries, while Scotland are close to full strength. Apart from the centres, Scotland have a settled side; the Springboks are as raw and untried as a modern international team can be.

The South African rugby public know this. They hate losing as well, which is why, as of yesterday afternoon, only about 32,000 tickets for the 50,000-seater ABSA Stadium — better known as King’s Park — had been sold. As Rudolph Straeuli, the Springbok coach, remarked ruefully, they won’t come out to watch a losing team.